Top Online Colleges in Delaware in 2017

Online education has become extremely attractive for students of all kinds in recent years. Working full-time employees, stay-at-home parents, or people in difficult circumstances can begin or continue their studies through some of the top online colleges in Delaware. The top online programs in Delaware feature some of the best associate, bachelor, master and doctorate degrees. Although there are only a few online colleges to choose from in Delaware, students still have plenty of nearby options for most of the top online colleges offering its courses to students outside Delaware. The state has authorized certain out-of-state colleges to grant degrees to Delaware residents.

Delaware promotes several initiatives to enhance online learning for students. As a result, many online colleges in Delaware are highly accessible and up-to-date. Delaware’s demonstrated commitment to making distance learning more accessible and technologically innovative makes online college a worthwhile investment for many.

Online degrees in Delaware provide the same quality of education as in the classroom. As part of our list, we look at the quality of the program, graduation rate, job placement, and tuition costs. The graduation rate is the student’s ability graduate within four years of starting school. Each of these qualities helps determine how well a student will succeed by enrolling in a Delaware online program in the U.S.

Here are the top Online Colleges in Delaware:

1. University of Delaware

The University of Delaware ranks number one on our list of top online colleges for its number of online programs and high graduation rate. UD offers a broad range of degrees, including associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate level programs. Online, UD offers 16 degrees from the associate to doctoral level in fields like the arts, nursing, administration, and education. Several Master’s degree programs online are available including cyber security, computer engineering, teaching and civil service. Student resources available online include an extensive online library with librarian live chat, streaming video and online scholarly article databases including PubMed, LexisNexis, and JSTOR.

The University of Delaware is a public land, sea, and space-grant institution located in Newark, Delaware.

Graduation Rate: 79.5 percent

Number of Online Programs: 16

Tuition Cost: $12,342/yr

2. Wesley College

Wesley College only has three online programs available, but based on its growth, more are sure to be offered. The three programs available are Master of Arts in Sports Leadership, Master of Arts in Education, and Masters in Criminal Justice.

Wesley College is a private liberal arts college located in Dover, Delaware. There are nearly 1,500 students on the Dover campus.

Graduation Rate: 21.7 percent

Number of Online Programs: 3

Tuition Cost: $24,100/yr

3. Wilmington University

Wilmington University offers several different programs at its college. According to its website, 41 percent of students at Wilmington University use online learning. Programs are available from certificate to a doctorate. Up to 90 transfer hours can go toward an online degree, and students can convert prior training into earned credit. The university’s undergraduate tuition rates are competitively priced, and online students pay the same as traditional students.

Founded in 1968, Wilmington University, a private university consists of seven colleges. The university has over 20,000 students in attendance and offers over 100 graduate and undergraduate degree programs, most of which are available online.

Graduation Rate: 34 percent

Number of Online Programs: 90+

Tuition Cost: $12,980/yr

4. Delaware State University

Delaware State University uses rolling admission and offers accelerated 8-week courses. The institution offers 20 total undergraduate and graduates online degrees, along with online professional development courses. DSU offers 9-degree programs five bachelors, and four master’s in fields like criminal justice, psychology, business, and sports administration.

Delaware State University is a public historically black, land-grant university located in Dover, Delaware.

Graduation Rate: 39.7 percent

Number of Online Programs: 9

Tuition Cost: $12,951/yr

5. Widener University – Delaware

Widener University offers five online degrees including Master of Business Administration, Master of Education in Educational Foundations, Master of Social Work, Master of Education in Instructional Technology, and RN to BSN. With a solid graduation rate, WU is a great option for either online college or on-campus.

Widener University is a private institution located in Wilmington, Delaware.

Graduation Rate: 80 percent

Number of Online Programs: 5

Tuition Cost: $13,380/yr

6. Strayer University – Delaware

Strayer University provides hybrid, face-to-face, and fully-online programs and courses. There are a wide variety of online degree programs at the undergraduate and masters levels, including Information Technology (B.S.), Nursing RN-to-BSN, Management (M.S.) and Information Systems (M.S.).

Located in Newark, Delaware, Strayer University’s Christiana campus is one of 78 U.S. universities. Today, more than 30,000 students attend Strayer University in fully-online programs.

Graduation Rate: 49 percent

Number of Online Programs: 25

Tuition Cost: $24,117/yr

Research Method

The list draws from the top online colleges in Delaware. The selection of online colleges in Delaware is slim, but any student can find the best program. The combination of flexibility, faculty experience, the success of graduates in their fields, options for financial aid and overall quality of program based on student feedback determines each school’s evaluation and rank.

We know that finding the best school to fit your unique needs is a huge challenge. For that reason, we work hard to develop lists of the best schools based on the characteristics most important for you. Whether that be cost of attendance, student success, resources available, flexibility of schedule, or any other number of important factors, we’ve got you covered. For more information about our ranking process and to find lists of schools based on specific characteristics, check out our methodology page.

We invite schools featured and not to reach out for possible inclusion in an updated version of our top online programs in Delaware. We’re constantly looking to recognize top-tier institutions.